A Non-Traditional Building for a Non-Traditional Congregation

The Gathering Church in St. Louis is challenging the way people see church buildings by replacing their traditional-style church with one that is more contemporary, modern and eye-catching. It is a non-traditional building for a non-traditional congregation, part of the United Methodist denomination.

The new $6 million building includes a sanctuary for worship, classrooms and a large lobby for interaction.

Incorporating Signature Colors into Design

The Gathering Church’s logo is orange and white, and these two signature colors were inspiration for the design. The design incorporates these colors with a balance of other dynamic colors. The staff at The Gathering worked with Vessel Architecture & Design to create the design for the new building, exchanging ideas and constantly checking in to get the aesthetic just right.

After exploring different material options, they found that metal was the right fit for the building and for the expression of the church.

Metal Panels Make a Contemporary Church

The 26,000 square foot building features more than 7,000 square feet of Kingspan BENCHMARK Designwall 2000 Architectural Wall Panels in four colors: Sandstone, Zinc Gray and Taupestone, Kingspan standard colors, as well as the signature Carnival Orange, a custom color from Valspar.  

Designwall 2000 panels allow for complete creative freedom, as they can be applied horizontally or vertically and provide maximum thermal efficiency while creating a double barrier against air and water penetration. A complete-envelope system was also a more cost-effective method for the church.

In St. Louis, it’s much more common for a congregation to close a church than build a new building. In the case of The Gathering Church, creating a new building gave the congregation several advantages over taking over an existing church building; they could tailor the space to meet all their needs, ensure that it has disability access and keep maintenance costs down.

The new building holds 600 people, more than double the capacity of the old building. It is being used in conjunction with the classic 1920s sanctuary the congregation had been holding services in. For The Gathering, this new building is a way to better serve their mission and make new space for new members.

Kingspan products used on this project:                                              

Designwall 2000

LOCATION

St. Louis, MO

MANUFACTURER

Kingspan Insulated Panels